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See Inside the Superyacht Princess Diana Shared With Dodi Fayed

By Katherine McLaughlin

Since her untimely death in August of 1997, Princess Diana’s last summer spent with Dodi Al-Fayed has been described in various ways: a passionate love affair, a fake publicity stunt, a temporary fling, a rouse to infuriate another suiter, or the beginning of a lifelong commitment. Although the stories change, the setting remains: a summer tour through the Mediterranean aboard a multi-million dollar superyacht. Later this year, nearly 25 years to the day, the 208-foot vessel will launch for sale again. 

The yacht is full of glossy and dark wood paneling. 

Originally named Jonikal , then Sokar , and most recently Bash , the luxury vessel was first owned by Mohamed Al-Fayed, former owner of Harrods and father of Dodi Al-Fayed. During the fateful summer, Al-Fayed hosted Princess Di and her two sons aboard the Jonikal . After the couple’s tragic death, Mohamed Al-Fayed attempted to sell the yacht numerous times before it was finally bought in 2014. It was most recently purchased by Bassim Haidar in June of 2021, who is selling it just over a year later as he reportedly has plans to upgrade to a larger vessel. “She is in the yard being refitted, and will be launched for sale in September,” said John Wood, director at Seawood Yachts. 

Coffered ceilings add a dramatic, yet timeless feel. 

Bash , as the yacht is currently named, was designed by navel architect Vincenzo Ruggiero in the 1980s and built by the superyacht building firm Codecasa before launching in 1990. The vessel can hold up to 18 people across nine staterooms in addition to rooms for 26 crew members. Among many notable features, Bash includes a jacuzzi, swim platform, sun deck, a formal dining room, main saloon, a bar, and office space. Full of dark wood paneling and coffered ceilings, the interiors are reminiscent of the Arts and Crafts style of the early 1900s. 

The vessel includes nine staterooms in addition to plenty of space for the crew. 

Powered by Wärtsilä engines, the yacht has a cruising speed of 15 knots and top speeds of 20 knots. Even though an exact price hasn’t been advertised just yet, the last time the boat was sold, it was listed for $10,000,000. 

By Rachel Wallace

By Hannah Martin

By Rachel Davies

By Joyce Chen

Inside The Yacht Princess Diana and Dodi Al Fayed Toured the Mediterranean On

The princess and her paramour vacationed on the yacht shortly before their tragic deaths in 1997.

Just a month before their passing, Diana and Dodi—joined for part of the trip by her sons, Prince William and Prince Harry—traveled the South of France aboard a superyacht. Then named the Jonikal (it has subsequently been called the Sokar , and the Bash ), the yacht was owned by Dodi's father, former Harrods owner Mohamed Al Fayed , when Diana traveled on it. Following the 1997 car crash that led to the couple's deaths, Mohamed attempted to sell the yacht on a number of occasions before ultimately parting with it in 2014.

In 2022, it was announced that the 208-foot yacht, which saw the beloved royal's last vacation, would be going up for sale. According to Boat International , the vessel sold in June of 2023 following a €9 million refit.

The ship, which was first launched in 1990, reportedly has nine staterooms to hold up to 12 guests with amenities including a jacuzzi, swim platform, sun deck, formal dining room, a bar, and office space. Though the ultimate sale price for the vessel has not been revealed, the asking price was reportedly €15,500,000.

Lauren Hubbard is a freelance writer and Town & Country contributor who covers beauty, shopping, entertainment, travel, home decor, wine, and cocktails.

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What Really Happened During Princess Diana and Dodi Fayed’s Vacation?

The Crown depicts her jaunts on Mohamed Al-Fayed’s yacht, the Jonikal, where her romance with Dodi kicked off.

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Diana was invited by Mohamed, a friend and businessman, to vacation in Saint-Tropez with her sons in July 1997. The Harrods owner would also goad his own son to join, too. The invitation came at a good time, after a few rough blows for Diana: Prince Charles was throwing a lavish birthday party for Camilla Parker Bowles at Highgrove, the house he and Diana once shared. And she had just broken up with surgeon Hasnat Khan, due to the media frenzy around their relationship. It was the month before William and Harry would be at Balmoral with their father and the rest of the royals, who no longer accepted her. So off she went, straight to the $20 million yacht that Fayed bought just before the trip to impress her—Tina Brown writes in The Diana Chronicles .

Prince Harry has looked back fondly at that trip, mostly because of the quality time they spent with their mom. “Actually, we’d been with Mummy weeks earlier when she first met him [Dodi], in St. Tropez,” he writes in her memoir Spare , per Today . “We were having a grand time, just the three of us, staying at some old gent’s villa.

“There was much laughter, horseplay, the norm whenever Mummy and Willy and I were together, though even more so on that holiday. Everything about that trip to St. Tropez was heaven. The weather was sublime, the food was tasty, Mummy was smiling.”

But the cameras followed her, like they always did. The Crown depicts photographers sailing out toward the Jonikal to snap images of the princess sunbathing and swimming in her one-piece. It also shows her approaching the boats filled with paparazzi to forge a deal: She’ll pose for them for a few shots if they’ll leave her and her kids alone.

Part of this is true. The New York Times reported in 1997 that Diana was quite cooperative with the press, at least during the first trip in July: “Three times, on separate occasions, she went out to the sea front and jumped off a small pier into the water, with photographers around her. Then, after leaving for 10 days with Mr. Fayed on the boat trip during which the photographs of the embracing couple were taken, she returned.”

“It was clear enough to all of us that she wanted to show the British establishment she was free,” Frederic Garcia, who photographed Diana on the trip, told the paper at the time. But her and the Al-Fayeds’ exasperation with the media grew after helicopters flew over the boat, according to the NYT .

Perhaps her openness to being photographed was her response to Camilla’s birthday party. “She just wanted to make the people at Balmoral as angry as possible,” her friend, art collector Lord Palumbo, told Brown. Now it wasn’t just a revenge dress; it was a revenge photo shoot with revenge swimsuits on a revenge vacation.

Brown even writes that the biggest photos from the trip, of the princess kissing a shirtless Dodi on the boat, “were the direct result of tips from Diana herself.” After they were published, she called photographer Jason Fraser, who “was in cahoots” with Mario Brenna, who shot the images, to ask why the pictures were so grainy. But she wasn’t the only one working with the press. Mohamed also had a publicist tip gossip columns on her and Dodi’s whereabouts and frame their getaway as a sensational romance, according to Brown.

Meanwhile, Dodi was juggling this burgeoning love story with another one. He was already engaged when he first joined Diana on the boat at his father’s behest in July. His fiancée was Kelly Fisher , an American actress and model, and their wedding was scheduled for the following month, on August 9, 1997. He had even left Fisher in Paris to board the Jonikal in St. Tropez. She joined later but, just as it’s shown in The Crown , she was relegated to a different Al-Fayed boat, where Dodi would visit her at night, Brown writes. Fisher soon caught on. In August, she sued Dodi for breach of contract, and was represented by high-profile lawyer Gloria Allred. But she withdrew the suit after his death.

In Spare , Harry remembered thinking Dodi was “cheeky” but overall was content with the relationship: “As long as Mummy’s happy, I told Willy, who said, he felt the same.” But Brown reported in her 2007 book that Prince William grew concerned. He told friends it was weird that they were on vacation with what seemed like a “substitute family.” When photos of Diana and Dodi on the boat were published, William complained to her that the boys at school would mock him for it.

After doing significant charity work in Bosnia with land mine victims, Diana reconvened with Dodi on the Jonikal in August. “The fact that she came back for a second visit so soon really shows her loneliness more than it does a passion for Dodi,” Dominick Dunne reported for Vanity Fair in 2008. But the privacy—or whatever amount of it that they had—might have appealed to her. “A splendid yacht. A helicopter. A private plane. Guards to keep the paparazzi at bay. She probably knew that she was being used by a social climber for his and his son’s advancement in London society, but in high society it was a fair deal. Each benefited.”

Dodi and Diana’s romance would be short-lived, but he showered her with gifts during their six-week relationship, including a pearl bracelet and diamond wristwatch, according to Vanity Fair . With him, the princess felt “so taken care of,” her confidant Lady Elsa Bowker told Brown. And on top of that, he was a “sympathetic, unthreatening listener,” wrote Tom Bower, author of Mohamed Al-Fayed’s unauthorized biography.

But their relationship probably wasn’t going to be a lasting one. According to Brown, Diana suspected Dodi might propose to her, but told a friend that the ring would go “firmly on the fourth finger of my right hand,” meaning she would not have accepted. Her sister Sarah McCorquodale later testified, “I just did not think the relationship had much longer to go.”

It’s been believed that the romance was even orchestrated by Mohamed himself. According to Bower, the older Al-Fayed would check in on Dodi and Diana during the trip (which is also portrayed in The Crown this season). McCorquodale also told the court that Diana “thought the boat was being bugged by Mr Al-Fayed Senior.”

On that second trip in August, Diana and Dodi were photographed together in the South of France and Sardinia, before heading to Paris for their tragic final days. There, they would be chased by cameras again for the last time.

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Yacht that Princess Diana spent last summer on with Dodi Al-Fayed sinks to bottom of Mediterranean

Cujo, which made front-page news around the world back in the summer of 1997 when Diana was entertained on board a year after her divorce from Prince Charles, went down in 2500m (8200ft) of water.

Thursday 3 August 2023 17:00, UK

A motor yacht used by Princess Diana and her boyfriend Dodi Al-Fayed on their final summer holiday in the South of France before they died in a Paris car crash has sunk.

The 19m (62ft) Cujo went down 21 miles (35km) off Beaulieu-sur-Mer after sending out a mayday call last Saturday.

The seven people on board the luxury vessel, which was taking on water, were rescued by teams from Antibes before it sank to the bottom of the Mediterranean at a depth of 2500m (8200ft).

They were safely returned to shore.

The area was monitored for pollution as the boat sank with 7,000 litres of diesel in its tanks.

Cujo made front page news around the world back in the summer of 1997 when Al-Fayed entertained Diana onboard, a year after her divorce from Prince Charles, which was finalised in August 1996.

That summer, Diana was also photographed on Sokar, the yacht then owned by al Fayed's billionaire father Mohamed.

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It had previously been named Jonikal.

Cujo was built in Italy in 1972 for businessman John von Neumann who told the Italian Baglietto shipyard that he wanted the world's fastest motor yacht.

She was fitted with two 18-cylinder engines giving her a top speed of 42 knots.

Van Neumann then sold the boat to the son of Saudi businessman and arms dealer Adnan Khashoggi and he sold her on to his cousin, al Fayed.

Cujo was frequently moored off St Tropez, a famous celebrity hangout on the French Riviera, with guests including Clint Eastwood, Tony Curtis and Bruce Willis.

Following the death of Diana and Al-Fayed in central Paris on 31 August 1997, Cujo fell into disrepair.

She was decommissioned in 1999, and spent years in storage, before being restored by new owners.

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The Crown: Five insights into the yachts featured in series six

On 16 November, the first volume of series six of The Crown was released on Netflix. Not only has it stirred up controversy regarding its depiction of recent historical events, but the series has also sparked the public's interest in the infamous yachts associated with the royal family's timeline.

The final instalment of The Crown features two ladies and two yachts, all of which are indelibly linked to Dodi Al-Fayed. It captures the simmering romance between Princess Diana and Dodi – a film producer and son of billionaire Mohamed Al-Fayed – as well as Dodi's fiancée, Kelly Fisher. In the drama, the Princess of Wales is whisked away to the former Harrods owner's villa (and superyacht) in the south of France, where she enjoys a summer on the continent with sons Prince William and Prince Harry in 1997.

The series shows the group on what was Mohamed Al-Fayed's yacht, the 63.8-metre Codecasa which was known as Jonikal (later Bash, now Isabell Princess of the Seas ) . Understandably, with the People's Princess aboard, the yacht was heavily photographed by the paparazzi – leading to the creation of that iconic Princess Diana yacht photo. The camera also pans to a smaller yacht we can assume is the 20-metre Baglietto Cujo , a yacht the Al-Fayed's spent a lot of time on and which sadly sank earlier this year.

Wondering what happened to Jonikal ? If the series was filmed on the original boat? Where the set location was? BOAT answers all your yacht-related questions surrounding the latest series.

That Princess Diana yacht picture

There are many iconic images of Princess Diana – not least the shot of her in the "revenge dress" – but up there are the images of her sporting a range of low-backed swimsuits from her summer in St. Tropez. Perhaps the most memorable is Princess Diana sitting on the diving board of Jonikal. The series recreates the moment her photo was captured, legs swaying above the oscillating sea, toes pointed ballerina-esque. It also draws on her plea to the paparazzi to give her boys some privacy as she meets them mid-sea on her tender, stealing the show in her leopard-print swimsuit.

The whereabouts of Jonikal today

The yacht carries great significance knowing Dodi and Princess Diana were pictured there just weeks before their fatal car accident. It belonged to Dodi's father and, during the series, Princess Diana and Dodi are portrayed sharing intimate moments on board: her, looking up from the piano she is playing, doe-eyed; him, opening up about his engagement and the struggles with his father. There is also the scene where they have an ice cube fight between decks; the scene where Dodi's siblings and Princess Diana's children jump off the diving board; where the pair share what would've been an intimate kiss, had the photographer on his motor yacht not snapped it.

It was successful telecoms entrepreneur Bassim Haidar who later bought the yacht in 2021. The fact that it’s the former Jonikal is a source of pride for Haidar, who told BOAT : "I really loved Lady Diana. Whenever anyone comes on board I always show them where the famous picture was taken." The yacht was sold in August this year.

The yacht the series was filmed on, Titania 

The Crown was not filmed on Isabell Princess of the Seas (ex- Jonikal ), but rather on the 72-metre Lurssen superyacht Titania . The yacht, which was delivered in 2006, is owned by British businessman John Caudwell. Back in 2021, Caudwell commented on the news via his social media accounts, stating that he "cannot confirm or deny any filming secrets" but hinted that viewers should "keep your eyes peeled towards the end of season five and start of season six."

The refit in 2012 amped up her charter facilities – adding a second owner’s cabin on the upper deck, a gym on the sundeck and an extension to the stern to accommodate a beach club (which can be spotted in the series) with a full water park that floats off the stern.

The other yacht (and the other woman)

Jonikal is not the only yacht to have featured in The Crown series six, filmed in Mallorca. At one point, the camera also pans to another yacht the Al-Fayed's spent a lot of time on, the 20-metre Cujo. The drama shows Dodi's fiancée at the time, Fisher, getting escorted by tender past the yacht Dodi and Princess Diana are on ( Jonikal ), and instead shuttled away to what Fisher refers to as "the smaller yacht". 

In August this year, the real-life Cujo sunk around 35 kilometres off the coast of Beaulieu-sur-Mer, France.

Other yachts featured in the series

Christina O had 122-metre shoes to fill in season five, playing Alexander – the converted cruise ship where Princess Diana and Charles celebrated their 10th wedding anniversary . Delivered in 1965 by German shipyard Lubecker Flender Werke , the superyacht hosted the royals and their sons princes William and Harry a year before the couple separated.

A replica of the Royal Yacht Britannia also starred in the fifth Netflix series. Britannia was used as Queen Elizabeth II’s royal yacht from 1954 to 1997, hosting up to 250 guests at a time while being operated by 21 officers and 250 crew from the Royal Navy. It was decommissioned as a cost-cutting measure by the UK government in 1997.

The second part of The Crown will premiere on Netflix from 14 December.

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The Luxurious Yacht (Made in Italy) for Lady Diana’s Last Vacation

In the summer of 1997, photos of Diana and Dodi on holiday traveled around the world, sparking controversy back at Buckingham Palace. We take a closer look at the unforgettable yacht where the Princess of Wales spent her last vacation

It was on the morning of August 31, 1997, when the BBC woke the world to shocking news: Diana Spencer, Princess of Wales , was the victim of a car accident in the Pont de l'Alma tunnel of Paris, together with her boyfriend Dodi Al-Fayed, when their car, driven by Henri Paul, crashed against the tunnel’s thirteenth pillar.

It was a pre-social era, when communication didn’t spread as fast as it does today, and yet Lady Diana’s story was broadcast immediately across every media channel imaginable. Diana, a timeless style icon admired worldwide for her gentle demeanor, was spending a relaxing vacation with Dodi aboard the Jonikal luxury yacht that summer, twenty-five years ago . Every photo of them was quickly picked up and published in magazines around the globe: the title of the Sunday Mirror’s first page on Sunday, August 10, 1997, read “The Kiss,” capturing the couple’s intimate moment aboard the yacht. But perhaps even more iconic was the August 24, 1997 photograph of Diana on the walkway of the Jonikal luxury yacht in the waters of Portofino.

The pictures of Diana in her swimsuit, who at 36 was as glamorous as ever, were a far cry from those of the young Princess aboard the Britannia royal yacht during her honeymoon with Prince Charles in 1981. The two yachts are also very different: the HMY Britannia was a 126-meter yacht belonging to the British Royal Family, while Jonikal was a 65-meter luxury yacht belonging to the Al-Fayed family and built by the Italian Codecasa shipyard.

After the couple’s tragic accident, Mohamed Al-Fayed, Dodi’s father, attempted to sell the yacht numerous times before it was purchased in 2014. The luxury yacht, originally named Jonikal by the Al-Fayed family, then Sokar and, more recently, Bash, can host up to 18 guests in 9 cabins and 26 crew members. The Jonikal yacht was launched in 1989, sailing at a cruising speed of 15 knots and reaching a top speed of 20 knots.

Among its many noteworthy features, the luxury yacht includes a Jacuzzi, sun deck, formal dining room, main lounge, bar and office. Interiors unfold with dark wood paneling and coffered ceilings contrasting with white to dilate the space. The design is meticulous, curated down to the last detail: for example, all countertops have anti-roll edges, following the best nautical tradition. Beyond the dark wood, the color palette used for interiors unfurls in delicate tones of light blue and beige.

The yacht was last purchased in June 2021 for the sum of $10,000,000 and appears to be for sale once more, although the current price hasn’t been disclosed.

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The super yacht Princess Diana shared with Dodi Fayed is up for sale – see inside

By Katherine McLaughlin

Since her untimely death in August of 1997, Princess Diana ’s last summer spent with Dodi Al-Fayed has been described in various ways: a passionate love affair, a fake publicity stunt, a temporary fling, a rouse to infuriate another suitor, or the beginning of a lifelong commitment. Although the stories change, the setting remains: a summer tour through the Mediterranean aboard a multi-million dollar super yacht. Later this year, nearly 25 years to the day, the 208-foot vessel will launch for sale again. 

The yacht is full of glossy and dark wood paneling. 

Originally named Jonikal , then Sokar , and most recently Bash , the luxury vessel was first owned by Mohamed Al-Fayed, former owner of Harrods and father of Dodi Al-Fayed. During the fateful summer, Al-Fayed hosted Princess Di and her two sons aboard the Jonikal . After the couple’s tragic death, Mohamed Al-Fayed attempted to sell the yacht numerous times before it was finally bought in 2014. It was most recently purchased by Bassim Haidar in June of 2021, who is selling it just over a year later as he reportedly has plans to upgrade to a larger vessel. “She is in the yard being refitted, and will be launched for sale in September,” said John Wood, director at Seawood Yachts. 

May we suggest: Inside Althorp, Princess Diana's childhood home

Coffered ceilings add a dramatic, yet timeless feel. 

Bash , as the yacht is currently named, was designed by navel architect Vincenzo Ruggiero in the 1980s and built by the superyacht building firm Codecasa before launching in 1990. The vessel can hold up to 18 people across nine staterooms in addition to rooms for 26 crew members. Among many notable features, Bash includes a jacuzzi, swim platform, sun deck, a formal dining room, main saloon, a bar, and office space. Full of dark wood paneling and coffered ceilings, the interiors are reminiscent of the Arts and Crafts style of the early 1900s. 

May we suggest: Examining Princess Diana's interiors style

The vessel includes nine staterooms in addition to plenty of space for the crew. 

Powered by Wärtsilä engines, the yacht has a cruising speed of 15 knots and top speeds of 20 knots. Even though an exact price hasn’t been advertised just yet, the last time the boat was sold, it was listed for $10,000,000. 

More great royal stories from House & Garden

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Superyacht SOKAR, once enjoyed by Princess Diana, set to appear at Monaco Yacht Show 2018

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By Katia Damborsky   31 August 2018

The 63m/206ft motor yacht SOKAR , which hosted Princess Diana on a luxury yachting vacation in the late 1990’s, will be attending the Monaco Yacht Show this year.

Well-known for being an outstanding yacht of her era, SOKAR combines timeless design and exquisite craftsmanship, easily earning herself a place at the Monaco Yacht Show 2018.

Previously named Jonikal, the superyacht is the backdrop of iconic pictures of Princess Diana and Dodi Fayed, the son of the yacht’s former owner when the pair took a holiday around the Italian Riviera in 1997.

In 2015, the motor yacht benefited from a refreshing refit which saw the addition of contemporary furnishings and an up-to-date selection of amenities.

However, she has maintained her classic charm with many original fittings still in place and an emphasis on ornamenting the living spaces with traditional pieces. Polished, gleaming wood surfaces are carefully balanced with sumptuous fabrics and nautical touches to give her a warm and comfortable interior. She exudes sophistication, and would have been the ideal choice for a Princess looking to experience the magic of a luxury yacht vacation.

Polished, gleaming wood surfaces are carefully balanced with sumptuous fabrics and nautical touches to give her a warm and comfortable interior.

Among the pictures, the most famous is of the Princess sitting on an extendable ramp that overlooks the sparkling water. Others include the Princess stepping on to a tender, and enjoying time outdoors on the deck.

Although SOKAR looks much the same in many respects, she now enjoys a Helipad and an on-deck Jacuzzi for guests to soak in. Ample outdoor deck space gives her charter guests plenty of opportunities to lie back and enjoy some sunshine or dine together with views of the ocean surrounding them.

When Diana was aboard SOKAR, she gifted a Ralph Lauren sweatshirt to the chief stewardess taking care of the experience.  Recently, the item of clothing went up for auction and is expected to fetch over $10,000 when it goes under the hammer.

But if you want to feel closer to a slice of Royal history, SOKAR is currently for sale and will be on display at the Monaco Yacht Show 2018.

Princess Diana's USA Sweatshirt (Gifted to a Yacht Worker Just Before Her Death) Is Up for Auction via People Magazine https://t.co/o51SOTlzfb More info: https://t.co/NwJDUDounj #PrincessDiana #Royals pic.twitter.com/J22tcbh10P — Mike Graff (@mikegraffpr) August 27, 2018

To charter a similar luxury yacht, speak to your preferred charter broker .

Alternatively, view all yachts attending the Monaco Yacht Show 2018 .

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72m Tankoa Yachts 2018 / 2023

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Yacht where Princess Diana spent her final summer on sale for £10million

The 64-metre-long boat was the setting of Princess Diana's fatal romance with Dodi Fayed. It is being sold by billionaire telecoms tycoon Hassim Haidar barely a year after he bought it

• 20:02, 23 Jul 2022

The yacht where Princess Diana spent her final summer is on the market for over £10million.

Formerly known as the Jonikal, the 64-metre-long boat was the setting of her fatal romance with Dodi Fayed .

It is being sold by billionaire telecoms tycoon Hassim Haidar barely a year after he bought it because he wants one even bigger.

Mr Haidar is known to viewers of the Channel 5’s Billionaire Superyachts: Luxury at Sea, which filmed his lavish lifestyle with his wife and daughters aboard another large vessel.

He bought the former Jonikal, renamed Sokar, in June last year and changed the name to Bash after his initials.

At the time, Mr Haidar told Superyacht Times: “The size, the volume, the history and the condition of her, I thought, maybe this is the yacht for me right now.”

The ship’s broker, John Wood, of Seawood Yachts, said: “Owners have many reasons to change, this one is mostly due to his change in fortune and wanting something even bigger.”

The vessel’s history might appeal to a new owner in the run-up to the 25th anniversary of Diana’s death on August 31 1997.

That summer, Diana, recently divorced from Prince Charles, cruised around the Mediterranean on the boat with playboy film producer Dodi.

It was one of a flotilla owned by Dodi and his father, the then Harrods owner Mohamed Al-Fayed.

Built by Italian shipyard Codecasa in 1990, the Jonikal was a sleek, floating gin palace with nine staterooms, one of Dodi’s “boys’ toys” that amused and impressed Diana.

Dodi bought it two years before their love affair and the couple used it for three cruises – around Sardinia, Greece and finally the south of France – in July and August 1997.

Pictures of the couple cuddling and kissing on the top deck went around the world, while Diana was photographed sunbathing, jumping into a speedboat and sitting on the stern in a contemplative mood.

They were among the last pictures of the Princess, who told her friend Rosa Monckton in a phone call from the yacht that her time with Dodi was “bliss”.

On August 30 the couple took a lunchtime flight to Paris to stay in the Ritz Hotel, owned by Dodi’s dad Mohamed.

In the early hours of the next day the Princess, 36, and Dodi, 42, were killed along with drunken chauffeur Henri Paul, 41, when their Mercedes crashed in the Pont de l’Alma tunnel.

In his startling eulogy at Diana’s funeral, her brother Earl Spencer referred to “joy in her private life”.

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Party Yacht Where Princess Diana Spent Her Final Vacation Sinks in France

By Kase Wickman

One more artifact from the late Princess Diana’s life is no more: The Cujo , the superyacht where she and boyfriend Dodi Fayed spent many sunny days, including their final summer vacation before they both died in a car crash in August 1997, has sunk in the French Riviera, according to French authorities .

Seven passengers were rescued from the boat on the afternoon of July 29 after it struck an unidentified object off Beaulieu-sur-Mer and struck a leak that would prove to be the end of its voyages. By the time the Antibes Nautical Brigade, part of the French military’s Gendarmerie des Alpes-Maritimes, responded to the distress call about 45 minutes later, all seven passengers had been evacuated to a life raft and the ship had started sinking.

The yacht was 20 meters long, and originally launched in 1972. According to BOAT International , Austrian Jon von Neumann, who introduced the Porsche brand to the United States, originally commissioned the boat and asked that it be built to break speed records.

After Neumann, the Cujo was owned by the family of Saudi arms dealer Adnan Khashoggi , before coming into Fayed’s care, according to the New York Post . In addition to Diana, Fayed hosted celebrities like Brooke Shields, Bruce Willis , and Clint Eastwood on the yacht in the late ‘90s. According to the Robb Report, later owner Simon Kidston sold the boat to “a young member of a prominent Italian business family” in 2021.

Paparazzi swarmed Diana and Fayed’s summer 1997 adventures onboard the Cujo and the Jonikal , another yacht on which the couple spent time sailing in St. Tropez, including just days before their death. They were hot gossip, with Diana having finalized her divorce from then-prince Charles less than a year before. At the tail end of season five of The Crown on Netflix, Diana is invited to vacation asea with Fayed with her children, Prince Harry and Prince William , a trip that did happen in real life.

Harry recounted the July 1997 jaunt in his memoir, Spare . “Everything about that trip to St. Tropez was heaven,” he wrote. 

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Inside the £13m 208ft ‘love boat’ yacht where Princess Diana & Dodi Fayed had their romantic fling which is on The Crown

• Becky Pemberton
• Published : 12:36, 16 Nov 2023
• Updated : 12:36, 16 Nov 2023

THE famous £13million superyacht where Princess Diana and Dodi Fayed enjoyed their romantic fling is featured on the new season of The Crown.

The glamorous royal and her wealthy boyfriend were famously pictured kissing on the luxury “love boat” Jonikal, which is now called Bash, before their tragic deaths in 1997.

Photos of the couple’s Mediterranean getaway circulated around the world, with The Sunday Mirror paying £250,000 for first rights to the collection.

The fall out of the photos was depicted on the sixth and final season of Netflix’s The Crown, with the Queen , played by Imelda Staunton , seen viewing the multi-page spread back home.

The stunning 208ft yacht can hold up to 18 people across nine staterooms, along with 26 crew members.

It also offers a range of impressive amenities including a jacuzzi, swim platform, sun deck, formal dining room, a bar, and office space.

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The yacht belonged to Dodi’s multi-millionaire father Mohamed Al-Fayed .

The billionaire former Harrods owner amassed his astonishing fortune running several high-profile business ventures and a Premier League football club prior to the announcement of his death in August 2023.

The ship was first launched in 1990, and has had a number of owners over the years.

According to Boat International, it was sold earlier this year, and although the sum hasn’t been disclosed, the asking price was €15,500,000 (£13million).

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Diana’s final month included two cruises on The Jonikal.

The holidays sparked unfounded rumours that Diana was pregnant and about to announce plans to marry Dodi .

Dodi died aged 42 in a Paris car crash with Diana 26 years ago.

The pair first met at a polo match in 1989, but they did not get together until Dodi invited the princess to stay at his father's 30-bedroom villa in St Tropez in July 1997.

Much of Dodi's fortune was spent on impressing a string of beautiful models and actresses.

The playboy was linked to Blue Lagoon actress Brooke Shields, Val Kilmer’s ex-wife Joanne Whalley, Stranger Things star Winona Ryder and Frank Sinatra’s daughter Tina.

Following the 1997 car crash that led to the couple's deaths, Mohamed attempted to sell the yacht on a number of occasions before ultimately parting with it in 2014.

It was most recently purchased by Bassim Haidar in June of 2021, who sold it just over a year later with plans to upgrade to a larger vessel.

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Superyacht made famous by Princess Diana is now at the bottom of the Med

One of the luxury yachts that Princess Diana was snapped on with Dodi Fayed sadly sank in 2023, the other recently sold for over $16 million.

The Crown season 6 part 1 shows Princess Diana on a luxury yacht holiday in the Mediterranean with Dodi Fayed. While one of the two yachts used by the couple on the holiday is currently being valued at a whopping $16.8 million, the other sadly sank earlier in 2023.

Princess Diana and Dodi Fayed’s luxury yacht sank in 2023

In the Summer of 1997, only a few weeks before the tragic car crash in Paris, Princess Diana vacationed with her two children, Princes William and Harry , alongside Dodi Fayed and his family in the Mediterranean.

One of the luxury yachts was called the Cujo and this was the vessel that Prince Harry and Prince William were seen on amidst a media frenzy in season 6 of Netflix’s The Crown. Unfortunately, it only recently sank beneath the waves.

According to a report from local police , on July 29 of this year some 18 miles off Beaulieu-sur-Mer on the French Riviera, the vessel struck an unknown object and began to sink.

・ REMEMBRANCE : Princess Diana’s funeral in pictures: 17 heartbreaking images from procession and ceremony

“The skipper of the Cujo issued a Mayday, his ship was sinking due to a leak,” said an officer involved in the successful rescue of its seven-person crew.

“Rescue boats were sent from Antibes and, after making sure everyone was safe, gendarmes detected a significant water leak at the level of the starboard front hull. Her owner had activated the pumps and kept the engines running, but this didn’t stop the boat sinking.”

The Cujo plunged to depths of around 8,200ft (around 2,500m) and now rests at the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea.

Interestingly, prior to the deaths of Princess Diana and Dodi Fayed, the boat had reportedly hosted various celebrities including Clint Eastwood and Bruce Willis.

After the car collision in Paris, the Cujo fell into disrepair and only returned to the seas a few years ago after being purchased for $160,000 by luxury vehicle dealer Simon Kidston.

・ SUPERSTAR : Meet The Crown’s Diana actress Elizabeth Debicki who fans will recognise from huge Hollywood movies

What happened to the other luxury yacht, the Jonikal?

Out of the two luxury yachts that Princess Diana and Dodi Fayed vacationed on that 1997 Summer, arguably the more famous was the Jonikal – the vessel where the infamous ‘kiss’ and ‘diving board’ photos were snapped.

The Jonikal was as close to the definition of a superyacht as you could get in the 1990s, 208ft of class with nine staterooms that could accommodate up to 18 people (in addition to a crew of 26). The vessel was fitted with a Jacuzzi, bar, dining room, office spaces, sun deck, and swim platform.

Following the death of Princess Diana and son Dodi Fayed, the yacht’s owner Mohamed Al Fayed commissioned a redesign of the interior and attempted to sell the boat on a number of occasions.

In 2014, Al Fayed parted ways with the infamous yacht to an unknown buyer, before being purchased by Intercomm and GMT founder Bassim Haidar.

After a small fire broke out on the deck, another redesign was commissioned to the tune of $9.7 million – it now features a high-tech gymnasium, massage room, and a salon as well as a new name, Bash.

Earlier this year, Robb Report cl a imed that the Bash was available for charter for around $278,000 per week and in June 2023, Haidar listed the vessel for a whopping $16.8 million.

・ WOW : Princess Diana’s funeral attendees were a who’s-who of famous faces

The Crown season 6 Part 1 is now streaming on Netflix, Part 2 premieres in December 2023.

・ OUCH : Dodi Fayed’s model ex-girlfriend said billionaire ditched her for Princess Diana in “callous” dating blunder

The post Superyacht made famous by Princess Diana is now at the bottom of the Med appeared first on HITC .

OUR MINISTER

Dr. Joseph Lozovyy was born into a Christian family in Elektrostal, Moscow Region, and was raised in a pastor’s home. From the age of fifteen, he began actively participating in the music ministry of the Baptist Church in Mytishchi, where his father served as a pastor, and also played in the orchestra of the Central Moscow Baptist Church. From 1989, he participated in various evangelistic events in different cities of Moscow Region and beyond. From 1989 to 1992, as a member of the choir and orchestra “LOGOS,” he participated in evangelistic and charitable concerts, repeatedly performing on the stages of the Moscow State Conservatory, the Bolshoi Theatre, and other concert halls in Russia and abroad. In 1992, his family moved to the United States. In 2007, after completing a full course of spiritual and academic preparation, Joseph moved to Dallas, Texas, to engage in church ministry. In 2008, he founded the Russian Bible Church to preach to the Russian-speaking population living in Dallas, Texas.

– Bachelor of Arts in Music (viola) from the Third Moscow Music School named after Scriabin, Russia (1987-1991)

– Master of Theology (Th.M); Dallas Theological Seminary, Texas (1999-2003);

– Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D) Hebrew Bible (Books of Samuel): University of Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom (2007).

– Doctoral research (2004-2005) Tübingen, Germany.

– Author of a theological work published in English: Saul, Doeg, Nabal and the “Son of Jesse: Readings in 1 Samuel 16-25, LHBOTS 497 [T&T Clark/Continuum: Bloomsbury Publishing]).

https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/saul-doeg-nabal-and-the-son-of-jesse-9780567027535/

Joseph and his wife Violetta and their son Nathanael live in the northern part of Dallas.

Saul, Doeg, Nabal, and the “Son of Jesse”: Readings in 1 Samuel 16-25: The Library of Hebrew Bible/Old Testament Studies Joseph Lozovyy T&T Clark (bloomsbury.com)

Joseph, his wife Violetta and their son Nathaniel live in North Dallas, Texas where he continues ministering to Russian-speaking Christians and his independent accademic research.

Published Work

1. bloomsbury:, 2. buy at christian book distributors:, 3. buy on amazon:.